EVGA BQ Series 850W PSU Review

One of EVGA's most affordable power supply families, the BQ, includes five unique models. The higher-capacity ones are made by HEC and the rest come from Andyson. Today we're testing the flagship 850 BQ.

By Aris Mpitziopoulos
published

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Protection Features, Evaluated

Check out our PSUs 101 article to learn more about PSU protection features.  

Our protection features evaluation methodology is described in detail here.

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Protection Features
OCP12V: - 5V: 37.5A (187.5%) 3.3V: 39.1A (162.9%), 3.08V 5VSB: 3.8A (126.6%)
OPP999.7W (117.6%)
OTPNo (>150°C @ secondary heat sink)
SCP12V: Yes 5V: Yes 3.3V: Yes 5VSB: Yes -12V: Yes
PWR_OKOperates properly
NLOYes
SIPSurge: MOV Inrush: NTC thermistor

The OCP triggering points on the minor rails are pretty high, and load regulation at 3.3V goes south with anything higher than 35A. At least OCP is properly configured on the 5VSB rail.

As expected, there is no over-temperature protection. We warmed up the secondary heat sink to 150°C for confirmation. There is, however, short-circuit protection on every rail. And the power-good signal operates properly, meaning that it is accurate since it drops before the rails go out of spec.

Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom's Hardware US, covering PSUs.

25 Comments Comment from the forums
  • joz
    At $85 I can get a G2 650W; or even a G2750W on sale.
    Reply
  • Metteec
    Thanks for the review. Looks like I will be avoiding this one.
    Reply
  • Metteec
    Also, for $20 more, you can pick up an equivalent gold rated PSU or maybe even a platinum one on sale and after rebates. It is the halcyon days for competition in quality PSUs.
    Reply
  • _TheD0ct0r_
    19020704 said:
    Thanks for the review. Looks like I will be avoiding this one.

    Why is that?
    Reply
  • Metteec
    @_THEDICTOR_, for $85, there are so many other better options. EVGA could have been more competitive model if they made quieter version. Instead, you get a PSU with fixed cables, low efficiency, high power variances, and noise like a mini-vacuum. While the higher quality capacitors and warranty are nice, the lack of utility does not make this a good value. 3-years ago, this would have been a great PSU, but times have changed. It is a great day to buy a PSU, just not this one.
    Reply
  • MasterMace
    appears to be another terrible unit. I'll have to read back and see if it's an Andyson or a HEC
    Reply
  • Dark Lord of Tech
    Considering the OEM is HEC , not surprised by this review.
    Reply
  • Nuckles_56
    I would have thought that EVGA could have pushed HEC a bit harder and got a much better unit out of them than this
    Reply
  • lunyone
    I would personally like to see more 450-550w PSU reviews, not the cherry picked and delivered 750w+ ones that seem to make the rounds. It is just that most people are only going to need 450-550w PSU's for their 1 dGPU based systems.
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    This is not a cherry-picked sample. It comes directly from a store shelf and not from EVGA.

    As for more 450-550W PSU reviews, I am currently working on a 500W unit (which however isn't affordable).
    Reply